Physical Properties of the Atmosphere from 90 to 300 Kilometers. Proposed 'Speculative Atmosphere' Submitted to the Working Group on Extension to the U. S. Standard Atmosphere Tables

摘要

An average model atmosphere is presented for the region between 90 and 300 km. This model is consistent with or depends on the following assumptions: molecular oxygen begins to dissociate appreciably only above 90 km; at around 130 km about 30 per cent of 02 is still in the undissociated state; molecular nitrogen begins to dissociate above 220 km; the concentration of molecular oxygen and nitrogen decreases with altitude exponentially; the temperature becomes isothermal in the region of the exosphere, approximately above 360 km. All physical quantities were calculated from self-consistent equations as continuous functions of altitude, without assuming any particular form of the temperature gradient. The results show lower temperatures and densities throughout the region of the ionosphere than have been deduced previously. (Author)