Connections Between Meteor Persistent Trains and Ozone Content in the Mesopause Region

Abstract

Ozone ($O_3$) is an important trace species in the mesopause region of Earth's atmosphere and is difficult to directly probe. We found that the percentage of sporadic meteors that produced persistent trains (PTs) exhibit semiannual variations which are strongly correlated with those of the average peak $O_3$ volume mixing ratio (vmr) of the secondary ozone maximum (near the mesopause, $\sim$90–95 km). PTs are long-lasting, self-emitting phenomena that occasionally form after a meteor, thought to arise from exothermic reactions between meteoric metals and atmospheric $O_3$. The observed correlation between PT rates and $O_3$ essentially confirms ozone's necessity for the endurance of PTs in the continuum emission regime. Owing to this correlation, we were also able to develop a simple relationship between these two quantities providing an easy method of estimating $O_3$ in the mesopause region using the monthly sporadic PT occurrence rates. This represents a new, ground-based technique for estimating $O_3$ content in the upper atmosphere. Meteor showers were much less correlated with $O_3$ due to their respective homogeneity, stressing the importance of intrinsic meteoroid properties for PT formation. Lastly, we examined the connection between $O_3$ content and the duration of PTs and found no clear correlation.