Observation of mesospheric ozone at low latitudes

Abstract

Stellar ultraviolet light near 2500 A is attenuated in the Earth's upper atmosphere due to strong absorption in the Hartley continuum of ozone. The intensity of stars in the Hartley continuum region has been monitored by the University of Wisconsin stellar photometers aboard the OAO-2 satellite during occultation of the star by the Earth's atmosphere. These data have been used to determine the ozone number density profile at the occultation tangent point. The results of approximately 12 stellar occultations, obtained in low latitudes, are presented, giving the nighttime vertical number density profile of ozone in the 60- to 100-km region. The nighttime ozone number density has a bulge in its vertical profile with a peak of 1 to 2 x 108 cm-3 at approximately 83 km and a minimum near 75 km. The shape of the bulge in the ozone number density profile shows considerable variability with no apparent seasonal or solar cycle change. The ozone profiles obtained during a geomagnetic storm showed little variation at low latitudes.