Intensity ratio I(5577)/I(3914) in morning and evening pulsating aurora

The ratio of the intensity of the oxygen green line at 5577 A to that of the N₂⁺ First Negative band (0, 0) at 3914 A in morning and evening pulsating aurora has been observed using a ground-based scanning photometer which scans the entire sky in 2.6 sec with 2° resolution.The ratio I(5577)/I(3914), after corrections for scattering and extinction made on the basis of hemispheric averages of the intensities at each wavelength, is up to 50% lower in the pulsations than in the surrounding diffuse aurora and in pre-breakup discrete auroras. In morning pulsations this ratio showed systematic decreases with time and with increasing intensity.We report here what we believe to be the first quantitative intensity measurements made of the rare phenomenon evening pulsations. These also show a reduced ratio and a tendency for the ratio to decrease with time.The range of previously published values of the 5577 A time constant in pulsating auroras would lead to ratio variations of the same magnitude as those reported here, suggesting that quenching effects may be more important than atmospheric composition changes in determining intensity ratios within the altitude range of pulsating auroras.