OBSERVATION, IN THE NEAR-IR RANGE OF THE SPECTRUM, OF WAVE DISTURBANCES IN THE
MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE (VOLNY)
Research Area: Earth Remote Sensing
Expedition(s): 11- 13
Principal Investigator(s): ● Victor V. Alpatov, Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics,
Moscow, Russia
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Observation, in the Near-IR Range of the Spectrum, of Wave Disturbances in the Middle
Atmosphere (Volny) records and maps wave processes in the upper mesosphere and lower
thermosphere of Earth’s atmosphere. A component of the
complex problem of climate change on Earth is the problem of
mechanisms by which the various layers of the atmosphere
interact.
EARTH BENEFITS
Volny studies the links between perturbations of density in the
lower thermosphere and processes taking place beneath the
surface of the Earth (earthquakes), on the Earth’s surface
(tsunamis, explosions, fires, launches of aerospace
technology), and in the troposphere (storms, typhoons,
tornados).SPACE BENEFITS
This investigation is applied to new knowledge and not
specifically to advances in space exploration.RESULTS
Volny confirmed a previously stated hypothesis on the existence, at an altitude of about 90 km
in the vicinity of the solar terminator, of a bright, emissive layer that emits in the atmospheric
band (0,0) of molecular oxygen (762±5 nm). Mathematical processing of digital images of the
emissive layer showed the possibility of obtaining the spectral characteristics of a group of
atmospheric internal gravity waves passing through this emissive layer from the lower
atmosphere to the upper atmosphere. Thus, the means of observing the atmospheric band
(0,0) of molecular oxygen from the ISS that was developed and implemented in the Volny
experiment holds promise for use in a system of global monitoring of climate changes.
PUBLICATION(S)
Belyaev AN, Alpatov VV. The possibilities of using the optical observations of O2 atmospheric
band dayglow in the vicinity of the solar terminator for monitoring gravity wave activity. 36th
Annual European Meeting on Atmospheric Studies by Optical Methods, Kiruna, Sweden; 2009.
Image obtained during observation
toward the nadir of the secondary
ozone maximum in the range of
waves of the atmospheric band
(0,0) of oxygen (762±5nm).
Roscosmos image.