Air Force Reference Atmospheres

Abstract
Sets of mean monthly reference atmospheres that describe seasonal changes in the vertical distributions of temperature, density, and pressure up to 90 km are presented for 15 intervals of latitude between the equator and pole. Specialized atmospheres are included that portray longitudinal variations in monthly median values of temperature, density, and pressure during winter months. Other models illustrate the magnitude of the changes in the vertical distributions of these atmospheric properties during winter warmings and coolings of the stratosphere and mesosphere in arctic and subarctic regions. Estimates of the day-to-day variations around the monthly median values of temperature and density are provided for each set of models.