Empirical model of variations in the continuum emission in the upper atmosphere. 1. Intensity

The ground-based and satellite measurements of the upper-atmosphere continuum (continuous emission) intensity in the visible and near IR spectral regions have been analyzed. The data were obtained at the geophysical stations, located in different regions of the globe, and at Mir Space Station. The regularities in the spectral distribution of the continuum emission intensity and emission variations have been revealed for different heliogeophysical conditions.     

Spatial and temporal variations in infrared emissions of the upper atmosphere. 2. 15-μm carbon dioxide emission

The results of rocket and satellite measurements of carbon dioxide emissions at a wavelength of 15 μm in the upper atmosphere have been systematized and analyzed. Analytical expressions describing the dependence of the altitude distribution of 15-μm CO₂ emission intensity and its variation in the altitude range from 100 to 130 km on the season, latitude, and solar activity have been obtained.     

Empirical model of variations in the emission of the Infrared Atmospheric system of molecular oxygen: 3. Temperature

Rotational temperatures of the 1.58-μm (0–1) band of the Infrared Atmospheric system of molecular oxygen (IRAO₂), measured in Zvenigorod (56° N, 36° E), are systematized and analyzed. An empirical dependence of variations in the temperature of the 1.58-μm emission on the solar zenith angle is derived. The use of parameters of the altitude distribution of emission intensity 1.27 μm of middle atmosphere temperature profiles, received from the AURA satellite, allowed for the study of daily variations in the temperature of the 1.58-μm emission. It is revealed that the behavior of these variations corresponds to daily variations in the atmospheric temperature at altitudes of the radiating layer of IRAO₂, received from the AURA satellite.     

Modification of “Pressed” Atmospheres in Active Regions of Ultracool Stars

Ultracool stars usually have active regions, which is confirmed by their high-power radiofrequency emission modulated by the star axial rotation. The interpretation of this emission is commonly based on the electron cyclotron maser mechanism realized in the active regions. A plasma mechanism of radiofrequency emission is not considered, because ultracool star atmospheres are tightly “pressed” against the star surface, and the plasma frequency is much lower than the electron gyrofrequency (f_L ? f_B) at the coronal levels. This paper explores active regions of ultracool stars for the possible existence of a system of coronal magnetic loops carrying electric current generated by photospheric convection. It is shown that current dissipation induces a temperature increase inside the loops to about 10⁷ K, which causes an increase in the scale of height of the inhomogeneous atmosphere and, at the coronal levels, effectuates condition f_L ? f_B, at which the plasma mechanism of radiofrequency emission prevails over the electron cyclotron maser mechanism. The magnetic loop parameters, intensity of electric currents generated by the photospheric convection, and efficiency of plasma heating inside the magnetic loops are evaluated on the example of the brown dwarf TVLM513-46546. The scale of the height of the modified atmosphere, which appears to be comparable to the star radius, is calculated; it is shown that the soft X-ray flow created by the hot modified atmosphere inside a coronal magnetic loop is about equal to that observed for brown dwarf TVLM513-46546.     

Experimental examination of the possible influence of the 1.87 Å line emission on the fine structure of the lower ionosphere ionization

Summary From the theoretical investigation ofLetfus andApostolov (1974) it follows that under flare conditions the intensive X-ray emission lines in the 1–8 Å range have an insignificant contribution to the ionization state of the lower ionosphere in comparison with the enhanced emission of the continuum. This result is experimentally confirmed by direct comparison of the intensity variations of the emission line 1.87 Å (Fe XXV) during the solar flare of 25 July 1967 measured onboard of the OSO III satellite with simultaneous ground observations of the ionization state variations of the lower ionosphere made by the A3 method.     

The role of the stratosphere in climate change

A variety of climate perturbations have the potential to alter the thermodynamic and dynamical characteristics of the middle atmosphere, which may then affect tropospheric climate. Increased thermal emission from rising stratospheric CO₂ levels and scattering of solar radiation from stratospheric volcanic aerosols have a direct impact on surface temperatures, while variations in stratospheric water vapor and ozone can affect tropospheric temperatures. Observations and modeling experiments suggest that these perturbations, as well as solar irradiance variations operating through the stratosphere, may affect tropospheric dynamics, such as planetary wave amplitudes and Hadley cell intensity. In addition, climate changes will probably alter tropospheric/stratospheric exchange, with the potential for modifying trace gas distributions and climate forcing. These issues are reviewed in the light of the incorporation of middle atmosphere studies into IGBP.     

Difference between the spectra of acoustic gravity waves in daytime and nighttime hours due to nonequilibrium effects in the atmosphere

The singularities of the wave disturbance spectra of the nonequilibrium atmosphere in the range of acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) have been analyzed. Using the dispersion ratio for AGWs in the nonequilibrium atmosphere, it has been established that the spectra in the daytime and nighttime hours are different and this difference, caused by a nonequilibrium spectrum sensitivity to atmospheric temperature, can reach several percent in certain atmospheric regions. For the spectrum of the equilibrium model of the atmosphere, the difference between the daytime and nighttime spectra makes up several fractions of percent. As a result of the spectral treatment of variations in pressure and intensity of cosmic rays (CRs), it has been found out that the daytime AGW spectrum is higher-frequency than the nighttime spectrum. A comparison of the theoretical calculations of the AGW spectrum with observations has made it possible to distinguish the effect of nonequilibrium in the AGW spectral composition.     

Influence of stratospheric dust layer particles on vertical changes of energy distribution in the shortwave spectrum

Summary The aim of this article is the evaluating of the radiation flux changes connected with the changes of atmosphere structure after a volcanic eruption. A situation similar to the after the eruption of volcano El Chichon in 1982 is analyzed. The comparison of the calculated characteristics with measured radiation fluxes indicates good agreement. It is shown that the most important changes in the radiation fluxes are observed in the spectral range of 500–600 nm. The particles in dust layers contribute to increasing the albedo of the Earth-atmosphere system especially in the near infrared part of the spectrum. A shift of the energy maximum in the radiation spectrum of the dust layer in the volcanic atmosphere is also observed.on leave from the Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences     

Mesopause temperatures calculated from the O2(a 1<Delta> g ) twilight airglow emission recorded at Maynooth (53.2°N, 6.4°W)

Spectra of the O₂(a¹_g) airglow emission band at 1.27 µm have been recorded during twilight at Maynooth (53.2°N, 6.4°W) using a Fourier transform spectrometer. Synthetic spectra have been generated for comparison with the recorded data by assuming a particular temperature at the emitting altitude, and modelling the absorption of each line in the band as it propagates downward through the atmosphere. The temperature used in generating the synthetic spectra was varied until an optimum fit was obtained between the recorded and synthetic data; this temperature was then attributed to the altitude of the emitting layer. Temperatures derived using this technique for 91 twilight periods over an 18-month period exhibit a strong seasonal behaviour with a maximum in winter and minimum in summer. Results from this study are compared with temperatures calculated from the OH(3, 1) Meinel band recorded simultaneously. In winter OH temperatures exceed O₂ values by about 10 K, whereas the opposite situation pertains in summer; this result is interpreted in terms of a possible change in the altitude of the mesopause as a function of season. Estimates of the twilight O₂(0, 0) total band intensity indicate that its intensity is lower and that its decay is more rapid in summer than in winter, in agreement with earlier observations.     

Longitudinal variations of the hydroxyl emission. 2. Height of the emitting layer,vibrational temperature,and intensity

On the basis of multiyear ground-based, rocket, and satellite studies of characteristics of the hydroxyl emission of the upper atmosphere, information on longitudinal changes in the height of its emitting layer, the vibrational temperature, and the intensity of emission of various vibrational levels of the hydroxyl molecule OH is obtained.     

Spectral characteristics of large-scale radio emission areas in coronal holes

The spectra of the coronal hole radio emission in solar cycles 23 and 24 have been studied based on RATAN-600 data in the 4–16.5 GHz range at frequencies of 5.7 and 17 GHz and 327 MHz. It has been found that bright features of coronal hole microwave emission at 17 GHz and dark features at 5.7 GHz can exist in coronal holes when the spectral index is 1.25–1.5 in the 6.5–16.5 GHz range; the radio spectrum in this range is flat when coronal holes are indiscernible against the background of a quiet Sun. The possible vertical scale of the solar atmosphere over coronal holes is discussed.     

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Infrared Emissions in the Upper Atmosphere. 3. 5.3-μm Nitric Oxide Emission

The results of rocket and satellite measurements available in the literature of 5.3-μm nitric oxide emission in the upper atmosphere have been systematized and analyzed. Analytical dependences describing the height distribution of volumetric intensity of 5.3-μm emission of the NO molecule and its variations in a range of heights from 100 to 130 km as a function of the time of year, day, latitude, and solar activity have been obtained.     

High-Frequency Radio Emission from Meteors

A model of the processes that explain the intrinsic radio emission from meteors is proposed. A method for solving a self-similar problem of a strong explosion is used to determine certain parameters of the plasma wake dynamics at the initial expansion stages. Calculations show that this plasma expansion stage is responsible for the incoherent and unpolarized radiation from the meteor in the upper layers of the atmosphere. A theoretical estimate of the spectral density of the radio emission flux is obtained within this model, and it coincides with the experimental values. The radiation maximum is in the high-frequency range and strongly depends on the altitude and parameters of the meteor. For example, for the characteristic properties of the atmosphere at an altitude of about 90 km for a meteor with a mass of ~5 × 10^–2 kg, the spectral flux is ~2000 W/m² Hz at ~100 km from the source and the maximum is at ~40–60 MHz. According to the experiment, the radio emission spectrum drops sharply at higher frequencies.     

Lower thermospheric nitric oxide concentrations derived from WINDII observations of the green nightglow continuum at 553.1 nm

Vertical profiles of nitric oxide in the altitude range 90 to 105 km are derived from 553 nm nightglow continuum measurements made with the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The profiles are derived under the assumption that the continuum emission is due entirely to the NO+O air afterglow reaction. Vertical profiles of the atomic oxygen density, which are required to determine the nitric oxide concentrations, are derived from coordinated WINDII measurements of the atomic oxygen OI 557.7 nm nightglow emission. Data coverage for local solar times ranging from 20 h to 04 h, and latitudes ranging from 42°S to 42°N, is achieved by zonally averaging and binning data obtained on 18 nights during a two-month period extending from mid-November 1992 until mid-January 1993. The derived nitric oxide concentrations are significantly smaller than those obtained from rocket measurements of the airglow continuum but they do compare well with model expectations and nitric oxide densities measured using the resonance fluorescence technique on the Solar Mesosphere Explorer satellite. The near-global coverage of the WINDII observations and the similarities to the nitric oxide global morphology established from other satellite measurements strongly suggests that the NO+O reaction is the major source of the continuum near 553 nm and that there is no compelling reason to invoke additional sources of continuum emission in this immediate spectral region.     

Structural complexity influences the ecosystem engineering effects of in-stream large wood

Large wood (LW) is an ecosystem engineer and keystone structure in river ecosystems, influencing a range of hydromorphological and ecological processes and contributing to habitat heterogeneity and ecosystem condition. LW is increasingly being used in catchment restoration, but restored LW jams have been observed to differ in physical structure to naturally occurring jams, with potential implications for restoration outcomes. This article examines the structural complexity and ecosystem engineering effects of LW jams at four sites with varying management intensity incorporating natural and restored wood. Our results reveal: (i) structural complexity and volume of jams was highest in the site with natural jams and low intensity riparian management, and lowest in the suburban site with simple restored jams; and (ii) that structural complexity influences the ecosystem engineering role of LW, with more complex jams generating the greatest effects on flow hydraulics (flow concentration, into bed flows) and sediment characteristics (D₅₀, organic content, fine sediment retention) and the simplest flow deflector-style restored jams having the least pronounced effects. We present a conceptual model describing a continuum of increasing jam structural complexity and associated hydromorphological effects that can be used as a basis for positioning and evaluating other sites along the management intensity spectrum to help inform restoration design and best practice.     

Effects of thunderstorm activity in power spectra of the electric field in the near-surface atmosphere at Kamchatka

We have performed a spectral analysis of variations in the E _z component of a quasistatic electric field in the atmospheric surface layer in a wide band of internal gravity waves (from 5 min to 3 h) for quiet and seismically active conditions as well as high thunderstorm activity. Observational data of the field for September, 1999 and August–September, 2002, were used. It has been shown that, if there are no thunderstorms or earthquakes, the background spectrum includes oscillations with maxima at periods of T ∼ 1.8 and 1 h, 40, 30, 15, and 10–13 min. Their intensity in the range of periods of 0.5–3.0 h is two or more orders of magnitude higher than the intensity of maxima in the range of 5–30 min. Before earthquakes, with anomalies in diurnal variations of field intensity, there is a tendency of increased background spectrum at maxima noted there. In both ranges of oscillation periods, the spectral intensity increases by one to one and a half orders of magnitude. Under high thunderstorm activity, the variability is higher as compared to the spectra of earthquake precursors by both locations of maxima and their intensity. The intensity of maxima exceeds the maxima on the eve of earthquakes one to one and a half orders of magnitude in the range of periods 0.5–3.0 h and two and more orders of magnitude in the range of periods 5–30 min.     

Spatial and temporal variations in infrared emissions of the upper atmosphere. 1. Atomic oxygen (λ 63 μm) emission

Rocket and balloon measurement data on atomic-oxygen (λ 63 µm) emission in the upper atmosphere are presented. The data from the longest (1989–2003) period of measurements of the atomic-oxygen (λ 63 µm) emission intensity obtained by spectral instruments on sounding balloons at an altitude of 38 km at midlatitudes have been systematized and analyzed. Regularities in diurnal and seasonal variations in the intensity of this emission, as well as in its relation with solar activity, have been revealed.     

Ratios of the I 630.0/I 427.8 and I 557.7/I 427.8 emission intensities in auroras

More than 3800 measurements of the 630.0, 557.7, and 427.8 nm emission intensities have been statistically manipulated, and the dependences of the I ₆₃₀/I _427.8 and I _557.7/I _427.8 ratios on the I _427.8 nm emission intensity have been obtained. The I ₆₃₀/I _427.8 ratio decreases from 2 to 0.4 when the I _427.8 nm emission intensity increases from 0.1 to 3 kR. In the I _427.8 nm emission range 0.1–1.8 kR, the I _557.7/I _427.8 ratio tends to increase and takes the values 4.2–6.4. The experimental results have been confirmed by theoretical calculations. The obtained I _557.7/I _427.8 ratios suggest that the NO density at a maximum of its height profile is on the average 10⁸ cm^?3 in typical nighttime auroras.     

O2 density and temperature profiles retrieving from direct solar Lyman-alpha radiation measurements

The resonance transition ²P-²S of the atomic hydrogen (Lyman-alpha emission) is the strongest and most conspicuous feature in the solar EUV spectrum. The Lyman-alpha radiation transfer depends on the resonance scattering from the hydrogen atoms in the atmosphere and on the O₂ absorption. Since the Lyman-alpha extinction in the atmosphere is a measure for the column density of the oxygen molecules, the atmospheric O₂ density and temperature profiles can be calculated thereof. A detector of solar Lyman-alpha radiation was manufactured in the Stara Zagora Department of the Solar-Terrestrial Influences Laboratory (STIL). Its basic part is an ionization camera, filled in with NO. A 60 V power supply is applied to the chamber. The produced photoelectric current from the sensor is fed to a two-channel amplifier, providing analog signal. The characteristics of the Lyman-alpha detector were studied. It passed successfully all tests and the results showed that the so-designed instrument could be used in rocket experiments to measure the Lymanalpha flux. From the measurements of the detector, the Lyman-alpha vertical profile can be obtained. Programs are created to compute the O₂ density, atmospheric power and temperature profiles based on Lymanalpha data. The detector design appertained to ASLAF project (Attenuation of the Solar Lyman-Alpha Flux), a scientific cooperation between STIL—Bul.Acad.Sci., Stara Zagora Department and the Atmospheric Physics Group at the Department of Meteorology (MISU), Stockholm University, Sweden. The joint project was part of the rocket experiment HotPay I, in the ALOMAR eARI Project, EU’s 6th Framework Programme, Andøya Rocket Range, Andenes, Norway. The project is partly financed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Science and Education.