By Sid Perkins
New observations of the atmosphere over Earth’s polar regions may require scientists to revamp their mathematical models of environmental conditions at high altitudes. Such refinements could lead to better predictions of the effects of global warming.
During recent summers at the two poles–June and July 1999 in the Arctic and December 1999 and January 2000 in Antarctica–researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shone ultraviolet (UV) lasers into the sky to measure the temperatures at altitudes from 30 to 105 kilometers. They found that the high-altitude temperatures matched those predicted by standard atmospheric models. However, as fall arrived at the South Pole, temperatures began to stray from predictions, says Chester S. Gardner, an electrical engineer who led the research team.