A photochemical model for the space-time variations of the oxygen allotropes in the 20 to 100 km layer

Various photochemical models based upon the infinite-day assumption were investigated. The effect of the deletion of certain of the photochemical reactions was ascertained. An infinite-day model was developed in which none of the photochemical reactions were deleted. A time-dependent model was developed by an integration over the day. This model provided the distribution of the three oxygen allotropes as a function of height, latitude, time-of-day, and meteorological conditions at a given time of year. The results obtained from the time-dependent model were then compared with those from the infinite-day model and the actual observed data. It was found that the departures between the observed data and the infinite-day model were in many cases greater than the differences between the observed data and the time-dependent model. The seasonal phase lag was obtained by an integration over one year. This lag is then shown as a function of time of year and height at a given latitude. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1966.tb00222.x