THE TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF OZONE RADIATIONAL HEATING RATES IN THE VICINITY OF THE MESOPEAK

Abstract

Radiational heating of the mesosphere results principally from absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone. For conditions of photochemical equilibrium, the amount of ozone present near the mesopeak depends critically on the temperature. Relatively high temperature results in less ozone and less heating. Calculations presented herein show that this effect has a strong stabilizing influence on the temperature values near the mesopeak.