Abstract
ANALYSES of the changes in satellite orbits have established that the principal variations in upper atmosphere density at heights between 180 km and 1,000 km are attributable to solar activity and differences between day and night. A further effect, usually smaller, is the semi-annual variation, with maximum densities in April and October and minima in January and July. These results are embodied in the Cospar International Reference Atmosphere1 and other models of the upper atmosphere.
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References
Cospar International Reference Atmosphere, 1965 (Amsterdam, North Holland, 1965).
Cook, G. E., and Scott, D. W., Planet Space Sci. (in the press).
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KING-HELK, D. Upper Atmosphere Density in 1966–67 : the Dominance of a Semi-annual Variation at Heights near 200 km. Nature 216, 880 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/216880a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/216880a0
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