Abstract
In this letter we report the results of laser radar measurements at Aberystwyth (52°25′ N, 4°04′ W) which revealed the presence of a discrete layer of atmospheric material of about 0.5 km thickness near 40 km for at least 3 h during the night of 4–5 July 1983. Wind data indicate that it was moving from the east and had an east–west extent of at least 170 km. We estimate that the layer had a mass content in excess of 100 kg for each degree of latitude width. This layer does not appear to be due to a natural terrestrial source or extraterrestrial material, and it seems likely that it was a result of pollution at upper stratospheric heights.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
U. S. Standard Atmosphere Supplements (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1966).
Pinnick, R. G., Jennings, S. G. & Chylek, P. J. geophys. Res. 85, 4059–4066 (1980).
Giovane, F., Schuerman, D. W. & Greenberg, J. M. J. geophys. Res. 81, 5383–5388 (1976).
Cunnold, D. M., Gray, C. R. & Merritt, D. C. J. geophys. Res. 78, 920–931 (1973).
Ackerman, M., Lippens, C., Muller, C. & Vrignault, P. Nature 299, 17–20 (1982).
Meinel, M. P. & Meinel, A. B. Science 142, 582–583 (1963).
Clemesha, B. R. & Nakamura, Y. Nature 237, 328–329 (1972).
Whitten, R. C. (ed.) The Stratospheric Aerosol Layer (Springer, Berlin, 1982).
Coulson, K. L. Appl. Opt. 22, 1036–1050 (1983).
D'Altorio, A. & Visconti, G. Geophys. Res. Lett. 10, 27–30 (1983).
Thomas, L., Jenkins, D. B., Wareing, D. P. & Farrington, M. Nature 304, 248–250 (1983).
Kasten, F. J. appl. Met. I, 944–947 (1968).
Oberbeck, V. R. et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 10, 1021–1024 (1983).
Knollenberg, R. G. & Huffman, D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 1025–1028 (1983).
Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project, Rep. No. 11, Ch. 3 (World Meteorological Organisation, 1981).
Krueger, A. J. Science 220, 1377–1379 (1983).
Heath, D. F., Schlesinger, B. M. & Park, H. EOS 64, 197 (1983).
Turco, R. P., Hamill, P., Toon, O. B., Whitten, R. C. & Kiang, C. S. J. atmos. Sci. 36, 699–717 (1979).
ReVelle, D. O. J. atmos. terr. Phys. 41, 453–473 (1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thomas, L., Wareing, D. & Jenkins, D. Observation of a thin layer of material in the upper stratosphere. Nature 312, 627–628 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/312627a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/312627a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
