Investigating Chemical Processes in the MLT Region Using a Model of Wave-Driven Airglow Fluctuations

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9402434 Hickey This three year award is for continuation and expansion of studies related to the effects of gravity waves on the minor species' densities and associated nightglow emissions of the mesopause/lower thermosphere (MLT) region. For a given mean state and set of gravity wave parameters, the characteristics of the emission fluctuations will depend on the chemical pathways involved in the emission process. By careful modeling, the characteristics of the oxygen emission fluctuations using several different chemical pathways that have been proposed to explain the emissions will be investigated. Preliminary analyses have shown that obvious differences exist in the emission fluctuations for the different possible chemical pathways involved. By expanding these analyses, it will be possible to search for signatures in the emission fluctuations that are peculiar to each of the different chemical pathways. The theoretical development will be followed by extensive diagnostic analysis of both ground-based and space-based emission data, searching for the prognostic signatures, and deducing the chemical pathways involved. ***