09:20 - 10:20
Room: Conference room
Oral presentations
Constraints on meteoric smoke composition and meteoric influx using SOFIE observations with models
Mark Hervig1, John Plane2, James Brooke2, Charles Bardeen3, Wuhu Feng2
1Global Atmospheric Technology and Science, Driggs, United States
2University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
3National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, United States

This study presents observational constraints concerning the chemical composition of meteoric smoke particles in the mesosphere, using measurements from the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) in conjunction with meteoric smoke models. Comparing the multi-wavelength observations with models suggests compositions magnetite, magnesiowüstite, or olivine. Some smoke compositions are excluded in the SOFIE-model comparisons, however, this may because the materials are weakly absorbing at the SOFIE wavelengths. Knowledge of smoke composition allows the SOFIE extinction measurements to be converted to smoke volume density (V). Comparing observed V with model results for varying meteoric influx (MIF) provides constraints on the ablated portion of the MIF. The results indicate an ablated MIF that likely represents meteoric iron and magnesium only, when considering the identified compositions and simulations of smoke extinction at the SOFIE wavelengths.


Reference:
Observations 1-O-02
Session:
Observations of the MLT
Presenter/s:
Mark Hervig
Topic:
5) Neutral and ionized metal layers of meteoric origin and related parameters such as cosmic dust, meteors, meteoroids, meteorites, ablation physics etc.
Presentation type:
Oral communication 15 min
Room:
Conference room
Chair/s:
Gerd Baumgarten
Date:
Monday, 18 September
Time:
09:40 - 10:00