Atmospheric Sodium measured by a Tuned Laser Radar

THE layer of sodium atoms present in the atmosphere at a height of about 90 km has been extensively studied by observations of the resonance scattering of sunlight in daytime and twilight 1 . Rocket measurements of the daytime height distribution of the resonance radiation 2,3 have shown that the si...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1969-02, Vol.221 (5179), p.456-457
Main Authors: BOWMAN, M. R, GIBSON, A. J, SANDFORD, M. C. W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humanities and Social Sciences
letter
multidisciplinary
Science
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Summary:THE layer of sodium atoms present in the atmosphere at a height of about 90 km has been extensively studied by observations of the resonance scattering of sunlight in daytime and twilight 1 . Rocket measurements of the daytime height distribution of the resonance radiation 2,3 have shown that the simple photochemical model based on the equilibrium between Na and NaO must be modified. In recent discussion of models involving a dust layer as a source of sodium 4 , attention has been drawn to the need for data on the night time abundance and distribution of atomic sodium. We report preliminary measurements at night by a new optical radar.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/221456a0