Simulations of seasonal variations of sulfur compounds in the remote marine atmosphere

A photochemical box model is used to simulate seasonal variations in concentrations of sulfur compounds at latitude 40° S. It is assumed that the hydroxyl radical (OH) addition reaction to sulfur in the dimethyl sulfide (DMS) molecule is the predominant pathway for methanesulfonic acid (MSA) production, and that the rate constant increases as the air temperature decreases. Concentration of the nitrate radical (NO₃) is a function of the DMS flux, because the reaction of DMS with NO₃ is the most important loss mechanism of NO₃. While the diurnally averaged concentration of OH in winter is a factor of about 8 smaller than in summer, due to the weak photolysis process, the diurnally averaged concentration of NO₃ in winter is a factor of about 4–5 larger than in summer, due to the decrease of DMS flux. Therefore, at middle and high latitudes in winter, atmospheric DMS is mainly oxidized by the reaction with NO₃. The calculated ratio of the MSA to SO₂ production rates is smaller in winter than in summer, and the MSA to non-sea-salt sulfate (nssSO₄ ^2-) molar ratio varies seasonally. This result agrees with data on the seasonal variation of the MSA/nssSO₄ ^2- molar ratio obtained at middle and high latitudes. The calculations indicate that during winter the reaction of DMS with NO₃ is likely to be a more important sink of NO_x (NO+NO₂) than the reaction of NO₂ with OH, and to serve as a significant pathway of the HNO₃ production. If dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is produced through the OH addition reaction and is heterogeneously oxidized in aqueous solutions, half of the nssSO₄ ^2- produced in summer may be through the oxidation process of DMSO. It is necessary to further investigate the oxidation products by the reaction of DMS with OH, and the possibility of the reaction of DMS with NO₃ during winter.     

Optimal orbits for Mars atmosphere remote sensing

Most of the spacecrafts currently around Mars (or planned to reach Mars in the near future) use Sun-synchronous or near-polar orbits. Such orbits offer a very poor sampling of the diurnal cycle. Yet, sampling the diurnal cycle is of key importance to study Mars meteorology and climate. A comprehensive remote sensing data set should have been obtained by the end of the MRO mission, launched in 2005. For later windows, time-varying phenomena should be given the highest priority for remote sensing investigations. We present possible orbits for such missions which provide a rich spatial and temporal sampling with a relatively short repeat cycle (50 sols). After computation and determination of these orbits, said “optimal orbits”, we illustrate our results by tables of sampling and comparison with other orbits.     

Low latitude airglow

Tropical airglow work during the last few years is reviewed. Airglow instrumentation is becoming more complex. Some of these sophisticated airglow experiments giving important information about the upper atmosphere such as ionospheric F region electron density, height of maximum electron density, dynamics of and irregularities in the F region, mesospheric neutral temperature and its variation, dynamics of mesospheric, etc. are mentioned. At the end some problems which could be tackled in near future with airglow techniques have been suggested. Invited Review paper, Commission 21, IAU, Patras, Greece, August, 1982.     

Influence of astronomical factors on the dynamics of lithospheric plates

We suggest the concept of the Earth’s lithosphere as a geocosmic system of mobile lithospheric plates affected by both external astronomical influences (solar radiation, tides) and planetary factors—the Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, and mantle convection. The annual period in seismicity is shown to have a clear cosmic origin related to the seasonal periodicity of solar radiation in the northern and southern hemispheres. The atmosphere can act as a transmitter of the annual periodicity to the lithospheric plates. The formulated concept of the lithosphere has led us to put forward testable hypotheses about the dynamical atmospherelithosphere relationship. These hypotheses form the basis for the next program of research on the Earth’s lithosphere as a geocosmic system.