Abstract
RECENT publications1,2 report that the mean rotational speed of the Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes of about 200–400 km is faster than that of the Earth. Rishbeth3 has suggested that an induced electric polarization field at low latitudes plays a part in this “super-rotation”. We offer here an alternative explanation, based on the Scott effect4.
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References
King-Hele, D. G., Nature, 226, 439 (1970).
Bedinger, J. F., J. Geophys. Res., 75, 683 (1970).
Rishbeth, H., Nature, 229, 333 (1971).
Scott, G. G., Sturner, H. W., and Williamson, R. M., Phys. Rev., 158, 117 (1967).
Scott, G. G., Sturner, H. W., and Williamson, R. M., Phys. Lett., A, 25, 8, 573 (1967).
Weinstein, D. H., and Keeney, J., Phys. Rev. Lett., 23, 5, 218 (1969).
ICAO Standard Atmosphere, Handbook of Chem. and Phys. (The Chemical Rubber Co., 1969).
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WEINSTEIN, D., KEENEY, J. Super-rotation of Upper Atmosphere. Nature 231, 109–110 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/231109b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/231109b0
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