Ozone Abundances in the Lower Mesosphere Deduced from Backscattered Solar Radiances

Abstract

Backscatter ultraviolet data obtained by the Explorer E satellite imply very large ozone column abundances above 56 km in the tropics during mid-day. The number of molecules in a vertical column decays by a factor of 2–3 after the solar zenith angle exceeds 75° in the evening. An increase of similar magnitude occurs after sunrise. Such behavior implies the presence of a greater source of odd oxygen than is included in current photochemical theories. Ozone profiles deduced between altitudes of 50 and 62 km when the solar zenith angle exceeds 80° are in reasonable agreement with past rocket results.