Mesospheric and Thermospheric Magnesium Species

The scope of this study is the investigation of mesospheric and thermospheric metallic species. The methodology used in this work provides results in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region (MLT) extending from approximately 70 to 500 km altitude. The major source of metal species in the upper atmosphere is influx from cosmic dust. Along with Earth, a variety of celestial bodies orbit the Sun. The asteroid belt between Earth and Mars and the Kuiper belt outside the orbit of Neptune are well-known regions of high abundance of those objects. In addition, a number of regularly returning cometary objects present sources of cosmic material. The impact of metal species on the chemistry and physics of the upper and middle (and, eventually, the lower) atmosphere is still a field of intense research. Space-borne measurements present the most powerful method to investigate global distributions of metal species with moderate vertical and horizontal resolution. The SCIAMACHY instrument is capable to observe emission signals from mesospheric and thermospheric magnesium species on a global scale with good spatial and temporal coverage.