Abstract
Atomic oxygen is the first new species which one encounters on leaving the earth’s surface. It is formed principally by absorption of solar ultraviolet radiation. Above 80 km this process is balanced by direct recombination. At lower altitudes the recombination proceeds largely via the intermediate formation of ozone. A steady-state ozone concentration is thus produced which has received a great deal of meteorological interest because of its effect on the energy balance and because it can be used as a tracer for atmospheric motions.
The rate constants for the individual reactions in the mechanism for ozone photochemical equilibrium are not sufficiently well known to permit accurate predictions of ozone concentrations. Moreover, recent laboratory measurements have shown that the presence of even small traces of hydrogen, either in the atomic form, or as free radicals in combination with oxygen can drastically affect the ozone concentration. Oxygen atoms and molecules in electronically excited states also react rapidly with ozone. These excited species which are known to exist in appreciable concentrations in the atmosphere are also capable of reacting with one another and with ground state molecules. These and other reactions which affect the energy in the atmosphere are discussed.
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Schiff, H.I. (1968). Reactions Related to Atmospheric Ozone Chemistry. In: Quiroz, R.S. (eds) Meteorological Investigations of the Upper Atmosphere. Meteorological Monographs, vol 9. American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-37-9_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-37-9_5
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