Infrared emission from the stratosphere and mesosphere

Abstract

The contributions which studies of infrared emission have made to our knowledge of the stratosphere and mesosphere are reviewed. Observations of infrared emission can be used to deduce composition and temperature in the stratosphere. The transfer of infrared radiation is very important in consideration of the energy budget of the stratosphere and mesosphere; near the mesopause, non-equilibrium processes must be included in energy budget studies. Observations of the infrared airglow emission from OH and O 2 are briefly reviewed. The energy radiated by OH near 80 km is comparable with that radiated by thermal processes from other infrared bands.