Carbon dioxide 4.3-μm emission in the Earth's atmosphere: a comparison between Nimbus 7 SAMS measurements and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations

The data display diurnal, latitudinal, and seasonal variations which are shown, after the latitudinal variation of the instrument's response has been taken into account, to be caused by different conditions of solar illumination and variations in the kinetic temperature profile. We conclude that the rate at which energy is exchanged (as v3 quanta) between N2 and CO2 may be approximately twice the initial model value, which was inferred from laboratory data, and that the CO2 volume mixing ratio above 80 km may be significantly less than that predicted by photochemical models. -from Authors