A proposed international tropical reference atmosphere up to 1000 km

Abstract

Motivated by the need in many aerospace applications for a meaningful reference atmosphere characteristic of the whole of the tropics in both the northern and southern hemispheres of the globe, a proposal was made earlier by the authors for altitudes up to 80 km. This proposal is here based on balloonsonde, rocketsonde, grenade, falling sphere and satellite data in the range 0 to 100 km, and on the MSIS- 83 model from 100 to 1000 km. The proposal consists of linear segments in the temperature distribution with values in degrees Celsius of 27, -9, -74, -5,-5, -74 and -80.4 at geopotential altitudes of 0, 6, 16, 46, 51, 74 and 84.69 km (= 86 km geometric altitude) respectively, beyond which the description is in terms of geometric altitude. A linear segment between 86 and 97 km with a lapse rate of 0.6°C/km is followed by an elliptic variation commencing with a temperature gradient of zero at 97 km to reach at 110 km a temperature of -45°C with a gradient of 15°C/km. This gradient remains constant up to 120 km where the temperature is 105°C. Beyond 120 km the temperature distribution follows a Bates type of profile up to 1000 km to reach a value there of 760°C. A sea level pressure of 1010 mb and an acceleration due to gravity of 9.78852 ms corresponding to the Tropic of Cancer are used in the preparation of the atmospheric tables.