Marty Mlynczak NASA Langley Research Center Linda Hunt Science Systems and Applications, Inc. & The SABER Science Team

Transcription

1 Influence of solar variability on the structure, composition, and energy balance of the atmosphere from 2002 to 2014 The perspective from the mesosphere and thermosphere Marty Mlynczak NASA Langley Research Center Linda Hunt Science Systems and Applications, Inc. & The SABER Science Team 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 1

2 NASA Heliophysics Division Acknowledgement TIMED Project; G-I Program; LWS Program NASA Langley Research Center Johns Hopkins APL SABER Science Team All of the engineers, program managers, resource analysts, and contract specialists, who worked so diligently from to design and build the TIMED satellite and the four TIMED instruments. 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 2

3 Outline Introduce NASA TIMED Mission and SABER instrument Solar Cycle Influence on the Thermosphere Solar Cycle Influence on the Mesosphere Relation to upper atmosphere trends Future prospects 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 3

4 - Earth s Mesosphere and Thermosphere - 50 to 300 km Focus of Talk Image courtesy J. Thayer, U. Colorado 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 4

5 Launched December Degree Inclination 625 km Circular Orbit Routine Operations 12+ Years Ongoing to 2015 (at least!) 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 5

6 SEE Solar EUV Irradiance TIDI Doppler Winds GUVI Thermosphere composition SABER Meso/Thermo T, comp., Energy 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 6

7 Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry -- SABER -- SABER Experiment Limb viewing, 400 km to Earth surface Ten channels 1.27 to 16 mm Over 30 routine data products including energetics parameters Over 98% of all possible data collected (6.5 million profiles per channel!) Focal plane cryo-cooler operating excellently at 77 K SABER on-orbit performance is excellent and as-designed Noise levels at or better than measured on ground Now in 13th year of on-orbit operation 75 kg, 77 watts, 77 x 104 x 63 cm, 4 kbs 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 7

8 SABER Channels and Data Products Over Eight Years and Counting!! Channel Wavelength Data Products Altitude Range CO mm Temperature, pressure, cooling rates km CO mm Temperature, pressure, cooling rates km CO mm Temperature, pressure, cooling rates km O mm Day and Night Ozone, cooling rates km H 2 O 6.3 mm Water vapor, cooling rates km CO mm Carbon dioxide, dynamical tracer km NO 5.3 mm Thermospheric cooling km O 2 ( 1 D) 1.27 mm Day O 3, solar heating; Night O km OH(u) 2.0 mm Chemical Heating, photochemistry km OH(u) 1.6 mm Chemical Heating, photochemistry km Over 30 data products including T, CO 2, O 3, VER, O, H, T/ t 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 8

9 Solar EUV Variability Present nm Minimum solar EUV occurs late 2008/early 2009 Will show many plots of changes between 2002 and /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 9

10 Main Take-Away SABER data reveal the imprint of solar variability on the temperature, composition, and energy balance of the mesosphere and thermosphere 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 10

11 Energy Thermospheric Radiative Cooling Mechanisms - figure is to scale in energy - u = 1 NO SABER measures cooling rates due to NO and CO 2 infrared emission 5.3 mm 1876 cm -1 u = 0 u = 1 u = 0 CO 2 (n 2 ) 15 mm 3 P 1 3 P 2 O 667 cm mm, 158 cm -1 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 11

12 Parameters: Radiances; Cooling Rates; Fluxes; and Power Cooling Rate W m -3 Radiated Flux W m -2 Daily Radiated Power (W) 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 12

13 Altitude (km) Altitude (km) Examples of Thermospheric Radiative Cooling by NO 300 SABER 5.3 um Energy Loss Rates APRIL (Latitude: 82S) 300 SABER 5.3 um Energy Loss Rates APRIL (Latitude: 82S) e-07 2e-07 3e-07 4e-07 5e-07 6e-07 Energy Loss Rate (erg/cm3/sec) e-07 2e-07 3e-07 4e-07 5e-07 6e-07 Energy Loss Rate (erg/cm3/sec) Note altitude range of the measurement! 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 13

14 Solar Cycle Influence on Global Annual Mean Nitric Oxide Cooling Rate Note Units! 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 14

15 Solar Cycle Influence on Global Annual Mean Carbon Dioxide Cooling Rate 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 15

16 Daily CO 2 Power (W) Radiated from Thermosphere Observed periods of 6.75, 9, 13.5, 27, 180, 360 days up to 11 years 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 16

17 Deseasonalized CO 2 Thermospheric Infrared Power Approximately 1 Trillion kwh (3.6 x J) more energy radiated in 2002 than /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 17

18 Daily Nitric Oxide (NO) Power Radiated from Thermosphere 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 18

19 Deseasonalized Nitric Oxide Thermospheric IR Power Approximately 1 Trillion kwh (3.6 x J)more energy radiated in 2002 than /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 19

20 Mesosphere SABER measurements (subset) T, O 3, O, H, and CO 2 cooling rates All parameters exhibit response to solar cycle from 2002 to present Atomic species O, H are particularly important to the energy balance of the mesopause region ( km) Exothermic chemical reactions and infrared cooling Atomic hydrogen (H) is found to be out of phase with its response to the solar cycle H observed to increase while other parameters typically decrease 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 20

21 SABER Zonal Average Night Temperatures km and /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 21

22 Solar Cycle Influence on Night M/LT Temperature Note strong variations with latitude and altitude! 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 22

23 Solar Cycle Influence on Day M/LT Temperature 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 23

24 Night Zonal Annual Average Atomic Oxygen 2002 and /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 24

25 Solar Cycle Influence on Atomic Oxygen (Night) [O] changes in phase with solar activity! 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 25

26 Solar Cycle Influence on Atomic Oxygen (Day) 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 26

27 Night Zonal Annual Average Atomic Hydrogen 2002 and /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 27

28 Zonal Annual Average Night Atomic Hydrogen Unlike all other parameters, [H] increases as solar activity decreases! 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 28

29 Zonal Annual Average Day Atomic Hydrogen 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 29

30 Inverse Relation with Solar Cycle due to Temperature The basic equation used to derive night H: Ratio of H at solar minimum to solar maximum is given by: H min H max = æ ç è T max T min ö ø 2.4 æ ç è T max T min 2.0 ö exp(-470 / Tmax ) ø exp(-470 / T min ) (O / O 3 ) min (O / O 3 ) max H is inversely dependent on temperature and directly dependent on the O/O 3 ratio Observed 5 K decrease in temperature corresponds to ~ 15-20% increase in H 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 30

31 Increasing CO 2 predicted to cool the mesosphere and thermosphere substantially in coming decades SABER data provide first assessment of observed natural variability of the thermosphere cooling These are essential to understand before beginning to assess trends 2/5/2014 AGU Fall Meeting

32 Summary The imprint of the solar cycle is evident throughout the mesosphere and thermosphere from 2002 to today This imprint is clearly evident in temperature, composition, and energetics All responses, with exception of H, are positively correlated with solar variability SABER data are the first nearly complete and consistent set of data needed to understand solar cycle response of M/LT SABER observations are just now becoming long enough to see trends above natural variability Routine observations approved through 2015 and we hope for up to at least 3-5 years beyond that 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 32

33 Backups 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 33

34 Deseasonalized Kp Index 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 34

35 Deseasonalized SEE Irradiance nm 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 35

36 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 36

37 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 37

38 Ozone Night 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 38

39 Ozone Daytime 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 39

40 CO 2 Radiative Cooling Rate (K/day) Annual Zonal Means, 2002 and /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 40

41 Change in CO 2 Cooling Rate (K/day) 2002 to /5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 41

42 2/5/2014 SORCE Science Team Meeting 42