EFFECTS OF GRAVITY-WAVES ON COMPLEX AIRGLOW CHEMISTRIES .2. OH-EMISSION

The theory of Hines and Tarasick (1987) for the effects of gravity waves on airglow emissions is extended to consider more complex airglow chemistries, including multiple and multiple-step production mechanisms, quenching, and other loss processes. Attention is given to nonsteady state chemistry, since the time constants of some species involved in OH* production are comparable with gravity wave periods. Relations for the dependence of eta, the ratio of brightness to temperature fluctuations, on emission chemistry are presented in a generalized form which is readily applicable to other emissions. The specific case of OH airglow is examined in detail for the quenching rates of Llewellyn et al. (1978) and for those of Lowe (1991). Quenching is found to be important to predictions of eta. The results obtained are compared with the limited set of published observations of gravity waves in OH airglow. Although the theory predicts significant differences in the behavior of eta for the two sets of rates, the existing data are not adequate to draw firm conclusions.