Includes vita. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 329 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: River discharge leads to extensive phytoplankton blooms often observed in ocean color satellite images to extend far into the open ocean as high chlorophyll plumes. We investigated diversity, distribution and ecology of phytoplankton populations in the Mississippi River plume, both spatially and in the water column using molecular tools. A method was developed for the quantification of diatom/pelagophyte rbcL (large subunit of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase) mRNA using quantitative PCR and applied to cultures and in the plume. The vertical structure of phytoplankton species in the Mississippi River plume was described by flow cytometry, pigments, rbcL mRNA and rbcL cDNA libraries. High productivity in the plume was associated with a large population of Synechococcus and elevated levels of cellular form IA rbcL mRNA. / ABSTRACT: rbcL cDNA libraries indicated two vertically separated clades of Prochlorococcus (high-light and low-light adapted) in addition to a diverse group of prymnesiophytes and a microdiverse clade of prasinophytes, which may have dominated the SCM (Subsurface Chlorophyll Maximum). In situ sampling and satellite image analysis were used to estimate that the plume accounted for 41% and 13% of all surface water column ix productivity in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico, while covering less than 3% of its area. Coastally the plume is dominated by diatoms, which are replaced by a bloom of Synechococcus as the plume moves offshore. Diatoms as indicated by pigments and rbcL clone libraries again dominated the offshore, least productive plume. 15N uptake measurements indicated that rapid recycling of ammonium despite higher levels of nitrate primarily drives production in the offshore plume. / ABSTRACT: rbcL mRNA levels and photosynthetic capacity displayed strong diel patters in three out of four time series sampled during the GRIST (Geochemical Rate/mRNA Integrated Study). In addition it was demonstrated that transcriptional regulation of the global nitrogen regulatory protein NtcA in Synechococcus WH7803 may involve a small cis-encoded anti-sense mRNA. Methods for the generation of large insert BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) from cultures and the environment were refined. Partial sequencing and genomic comparison of an ntcA containing BAC clone obtained from Synechococcus WH7803 indicated that ntcA is not part of a larger nitrogen assimilation operon in cyanobacteria. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Geological sequestration of CO₂ in deep saline reservoirs is one of the ways to reduce its continuous emission into the atmosphere to mitigate the greenhouse effect. The effectiveness of any CO₂ sequestration operation depends on pore volume and the sequestration efficiency of the reservoir. Sequestration efficiency is defined here as the maximum storage with minimum risk of leakage to the overlying formations or to the surface. This can be characterized using three risk parameters i) the time the plume takes to reach the top seal; ii) maximum lateral extent of the plume and iii) the percentage of mobile CO₂ present at any time. The selection among prospective saline reservoirs can be expedited by developing some semi-analytical correlations for these risk parameters which can be used in place of reservoir simulation study for each and every saline reservoir. Such correlations can reduce the cost and time for commissioning a geological site for CO₂ sequestration. To develop such correlations, a database has been created from a large number of compositional reservoir simulations for different elementary reservoir parameters including porosity, permeability, permeability anisotropy, reservoir depth, thickness, dip, perforation interval and constant pressure far boundary condition. This database is used to formulate different correlations that relate the sequestration efficiency to reservoir properties and operating conditions. The various elementary reservoir parameters are grouped together to generate different variants of gravity number used in the correlations. We update a previously reported correlation for time to hit the top seal and develop new correlations for other two parameters using the newly created database. A correlation for percentage of trapped CO₂ is also developed using a previously created similar database. We find that normalizing all risk parameters with their respective characteristic values yields reasonable correlations with different variants of gravity number. All correlations confirm the physics behind plume movement in a reservoir. The correlations reproduce almost all simulation results within a factor of two, and this is adequate for rapid ranking or screening of prospective storage reservoirs. CO₂ injection in saline reservoirs on the scale of tens of millions of tonnes may result in fracturing, fault activation and leakage of brine along conductive pathways. Critical contour of overpressure (CoP) is a convenient proxy to determine the risk associated with pressure buildup at different location and time in the reservoir. The location of this contour varies depending on the target aquifer properties (porosity, permeability etc.) and the geology (presence and conductivity of faults). The CoP location also depends on relative permeability, and we extend the three-region injection model to derive analytical expressions for a specific CoP as a function of time. We consider two boundary conditions at the aquifer drainage radius, constant pressure or an infinite aquifer. The model provides a quick tool for estimating pressure profiles. Such tools are valuable for screening and ranking sequestration targets. Relative permeability curves measured on samples from seven potential storage formations are used to illustrate the effect on the CoPs. In the case of a constant pressure boundary and constant rate injection scenario, the CoP for small overpressures is time-invariant and independent of relative permeability. Depending on the relative values of overall mobilities of two-phase region and of brine region, the risk due to a critical CoP which lies in the two-phase region can either increase or decrease with time. In contrast, the risk due to a CoP in the drying region always decreases with time. The assumption of constant pressure boundaries is optimistic in the sense that CoPs extend the least distance from the injection well. We extend the analytical model to infinite-acting aquifers to get a more widely applicable estimate of risk. An analytical expression for pressure profile is developed by adapting water influx models from traditional reservoir engineering to the "three-region" saturation distribution. For infinite-acting boundary condition, the CoP trends depend on same factors as in the constant pressure case, and also depend upon the rate of change of aquifer boundary pressure with time. Commercial reservoir simulators are used to verify the analytical model for the constant pressure boundary condition. The CoP trends from the analytical solution and simulation results show a good match. To achieve safe and secure CO₂ storage in underground reservoirs several state and national government agencies are working to develop regulatory frameworks to estimate various risks associated with CO₂ injection in saline aquifers. Certification Framework (CF), developed by Oldenburg et al (2007) is a similar kind of regulatory approach to certify the safety and effectiveness of geologic carbon sequestration sites. CF is a simple risk assessment approach for evaluating CO₂ and brine leakage risk associated only with subsurface processes and excludes compression, transportation, and injection-well leakage risk. Certification framework is applied to several reservoirs in different geologic settings. These include In Salah CO₂ storage project Krechba, Algeria, Aquistore CO₂ storage project Saskatchewan, Canada and WESTCARB CO₂ storage project, Solano County, California. Compositional reservoir simulations in CMG-GEM are performed for CO₂ injection in each storage reservoir to predict pressure build up risk and CO₂ leakage risk. CO₂ leakage risk is also estimated using the catalog of pre-computed reservoir simulation results. Post combustion CO₂ capture is required to restrict the continuous increase of carbon content in the atmosphere. Coal fired electricity generating stations are the dominant players contributing to the continuous emissions of CO₂ into the atmosphere. U.S. government has planned to install post combustion CO₂ capture facility in many coal fired power plants including W.A. Parish electricity generating station in south Texas. Installing a CO₂ capture facility in a coal fired power plant increases the capital cost of installation and operating cost to regenerate the turbine solvent (steam or natural gas) to maintain the stripper power requirement. If a coal-fired power plant with CO₂ capture is situated over a viable source for geothermal heat, it may be desirable to use this heat source in the stripper. Geothermal brine can be used to replace steam or natural gas which in turn reduces the operating cost of the CO₂ capture facility. High temperature brine can be produced from the underground geothermal brine reservoir and can be injected back to the reservoir after the heat from the hot brine is extracted. This will maintain the reservoir pressure and provide a long-term supply of hot brine to the stripper. Simulations were performed to supply CO₂ capture facility equivalent to 60 MWe electric unit to capture 90% of the incoming CO₂ in WA Parish electricity generating station. A reservoir simulation study in CMG-GEM is performed to evaluate the feasibility to recycle the required geothermal brine for 30 years time. This pilot study is scaled up to 15 times of the original capacity to generate 900 MWe stripping system to capture CO₂ at surface. / text

This experimental study analyses the dynamics of concentration fluctuations in a passive plume emitted by a point source within the turbulent boundary layer. We aim to extend the popular study of Fackrell and Robins (1982) about concentration fluctuations and fluxes from point sources by including third and fourth moments of concentration. We also further inquire into the influence of source conditions, such as the source size, source elevation and emission velocity, on higher order concentration moments. The data set is completed by a detailed description of the velocity statistics within the TBL, with exhaustive information on both the temporal and spatial structure of the flow. The experimental data-set has been used to test two different modeling ap- proaches: an analytical meandering plume model (in one and in three dimen- sions) and a Lagrangian stochastic micro-mixing model.

Les émissions atmosphériques constitue un enjeu majeur pour la société, à la fois pour les problématiques santé – qualité de l’air (maladies respiratoires, allergies,. . . ) et pour les problématiques liées au réchauffement climatique et aux gaz à effet de serre. Les sources anthropiques, industrielles en particulier, émettent dans l’atmosphère gaz et aérosols qui jouent un rôle important dans les échanges atmosphériques. Néanmoins leur suivi à haute résolution spatiale reste peu précis, en raison des résolutions rencontrées pour les senseurs spatiaux. Les développements techniques récents des capteurs hyperspectraux aéroportés permettent d’améliorer la caractérisation des panaches. Lors de nos travaux nous avons développé un nouvel outil pour la détection et la caractérisation des panaches de gaz. Ainsi, une cartographie 3D des différentes concentrations est obtenue. Cet outil est ensuite validé sur des images synthétiques et sur des acquisitions aéroportés de scènes industrielles. / The air pollution is a very important issue for industrialized society, both in terms of health (respiratory diseases, allergies,. . . ) and in terms of climate change (global warming and greenhouse gas emissions). Anthropogenic sources, especially industrial, emit into the atmosphere gases and aerosols, which play an important role in atmospheric exchanges. However emissions remain poorly estimated as most of existing space sensors have a limited spectral range as well as a too low spatial resolution. The use of the new hyperspectral airborne image sensors in the infrared range opens the way to new development to improve the plume characterization. In our work, we developed a new method for detecting and characterizing gas plumes. It is based on an accurate non linear formalism of cloud gas radiative impact. This method was validated using synthetic scenes of industrial area, and airborne acquisitions obtained by a hyperspectral thermal infrared sensor.

Cette thèse s'appuie sur les travaux d'Alexander V. Sobolev sur le recyclage de matériel crustal dans le manteau terrestre en lien avec les processus de mise en place des provinces magmatiques et des iles océaniques. Il s'agit d'utiliser des outils pétrologiques et géochimiques couplés à des données de paléomagnétisme haute résolution, et à de la modélisation thermomécanique dans le but de contraindre les processus profonds à l'origine des Trapps du Deccan et leurs conséquences au niveau planétaire (extinction de masse). Dans un premier temps, cette thèse propose une réinterprétation des diverses contraintes temporelles sur la durée de l'éruption des Trapps du Deccan (datations radiochronologiques, paleomagnétisme, profiles d'altérations, et données paléo-environnementales) et suggère un scénario temporel pour la mise en place de cette province magmatique, le tout principalement basé sur des données paléomagnétiques de hautes résolution de Chenet et al (2008, 2009). Ce scénario implique que la phase principale de l'éruption des Trapps du Deccan s'est produite peu de temps avant la limite Crétacé-Paléogène et qu'elle correspond à la mise en place d'environ 1.106km3 de laves en 50ka. Ces chiffres sont équivalents à 150-200 fois le taux d'éruption actuel de l'ile volcanique d'Hawaii. Ce scénario temporel a ensuite été couplé à des données géochimiques élémentaires qui ont permis de mettre en évidence 1) une origine profonde pour la grande majorité des liquides primaires et 2) d'importantes variations de l'assimilation crustale au cours du temps, notamment juste avant la limite Crétacé-Paléogène. Ces phénomènes sont compatibles avec un unique épisode d'érosion lithosphérique de la plaque indienne par les processus magmatiques dans le manteau sous-jacent. Les données relatives aux Trapps du Deccan peuvent être comparées à celles des Trapps de Sibérie et révèlent notamment que l'importante érosion lithosphérique identifiée dans celles-ci n'ait pas eu lieu dans le cas des Trapps du Deccan malgré des caractéristiques mantelliques similaires. Cette différence peut être attribuée à la plus grande épaisseur de la plaque indienne, ainsi qu'à l'existence de zones de faiblesses, liées à l'héritage tectonique du bouclier indien. Ces zones de faiblesses auraient facilité le passage des magmas à travers la plaque de manière à ce qu'une faible proportion d'entre eux seulement ait été impliquée dans les processus de délamination lithospherique. Un ensemble de données géochimiques sur olivine ainsi que de modélisation des liquides magmatiques primaires et de leur source pour les Trapps du Deccan nous ont permis de montrer 1) l'importante contribution d'une source pyroxenitique à la composition des liquide magmatiques primaires (65%), 2) que la gamme de températures potentielles de ces mêmes sources avait due être de l'ordre de 1600°C et 3) que ces dernières contenaient environ 15% de matériel crustal recyclé. Des mesures et calculs similaires appliquées aux laves de la Réunion ont, par ailleurs, montrés des résultats très différents : 50% de liquides pyroxenitiques dans les liquides magmatiques primaires, une température potentielle mantellique de l'ordre de 1500°C et une teneur des sources magmatiques en matériel crustal recyclé de l'ordre de 7%. Ces résultats sont compatibles avec le modèle de panache matellique pour la mise en place des provinces magmatiques et des iles océaniques ainsi qu'avec l'hypothèse du refroidissement séculaire de ces mêmes panaches. Nous en concluons que l'éruption des Trapps du Deccan fut un événement d'une rapidité exceptionnelle et que son implication dans la crise biologique de la fin du Crétacé fut sans doute particulièrement importante. / This PhD aims to build on the previous work by Alexander V. Sobolev and colleagues on crustal recycling within the Earth mantle and LIPs/ocean island magmatism. The PhD focus will be to apply petrology and geochemistry coupled with high-resolution paleomagnetism, and thermo-mechanical modelling in order to constrain the deep processes behind the Deccan Traps (mantle melting and crustal recycling) as well as the consequences at the surface of the Earth (eruption rates and related degassing). Upon revisiting published time constraints on the Deccan eruptions (radiometric dating, paleomagnetism, inter-flow weathering profiles and paleoenvironmental data), we propose a new, paleomagnetism-based (Chenet et al., 2008, 2009), eruption scenario for the Main Deccan Province (Western Ghats). We suggest that the main phase of volcanic activity occurred just before and ended at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary and was responsible for the emplacement of about 1.106km3 of lavas in ~50kyr. This is equivalent to 150 to 200 times present-day eruption rates in Hawaii. Coupling of the paleomagnetism-based timeframe with bulk-rock trace element concentrations revealed that Western Ghats lavas feature 1) a strong garnet signature (Heavy Rare Earth Element depletion), indicative of a deep origin and 2) significant temporal variations in the intensity of crustal assimilation undergone by the rising melts, especially just before the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary. We suggest that these excursions are part of a single and localized plume-induced lithospheric erosion event of the Indian lithosphere by the Deccan plume. A comparison of the Deccan Traps with the Siberian Traps exposes significant geodynamical differences. Most notably, the widespread and extensive lithospheric erosion observed in the Siberian Traps did not take place in the Deccan Traps, despite similar mantle characteristics. This difference is attributed to 1) a thicker Indian lithosphere and 2) to the existence of weaknesses in the form of pre-existing structural lineaments. These pre-existing structures facilitated the passage of deep mantle-derived magmas and thus precluded or limited their involvement in a freezing-delamination process. Olivine geochemistry and olivine-based primary melt and source modelling in Deccan Traps lavas showed 1) large contributions of pyroxenite-derived melts (65%) to the primary melts, 2) high potential temperatures of the mantle sources (~1590-1600°C) and 3) that the mantle sources of Deccan Traps magmas contained ~15% of recycled crustal material. These observations contrast with those obtained from Réunion Island lavas (50% of pyroxenite-derived melts, mantle potential temperatures of 1490-1500°C and 7% of recycled crustal material in the sources of Réunion Island magmas. Our results are compatible with the plume model for LIPs and ocean island magmatism as well as with a secular cooling of mantle plumes. We conclude, along with many authors, that the emplacement of the Deccan Traps was a remarkably swift and catastrophic event at the end of the Cretaceous and that it likely played a significant role in the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:25:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_marieli_sallet.pdf: 231023 bytes, checksum: f445526b62fbfcde40fb1bc5ca90923a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-23 / Currently, the search for analytical solutions for the dispersion problems is one of the main research subjects in the pollutant dispersion modeling. These solutions become important due to the intention to obtain dispersion models that generate reliable results in a small computational time, which are of great interest for regulatory air quality applications. Lagrangian particle models are an important and effective tool to simulate the atmospheric dispersion of airborne pollutants. These models are based on the Langevin equation, which is derived from the hypothesis that the velocity is given by the combination between a deterministic term and a stochastic term. In this work is presented a new Lagrangian particle model to simulate the pollutant dispersion in low wind speed conditions. During low wind speed, the diffusion of a pollutant in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is indefinite and it has been observed that the plume is subject to a great deal of horizontal undulations, which are called plume meandering. The method proposed leads to a stochastic integral equation whose solution has been obtained through the Method of Successive Approximations or Picard s Iteration Method. The integral equation is written in terms of the real and imaginary parts of the complex function before performing the multiplication of the integrating factor, expressed by the Euler formula, inside and outside of the integral solution. To take account the meandering effect, the Frenkiel s Eulerian autocorrelation functions for low wind conditions is included naturally in the model. The new approach has been evaluated through the comparison with experimental data and other different dispersion models. Particularly, the results obtained by the model agree very well with the experimental data, indicating the model represents the dispersion process correctly in low wind speed conditions. It is also possible to verify that the new model results are better than ones obtained by the other models. The analytical feature of the technique and the natural inclusion of the Frenkiel s Eulerian autocorrelation function become the model more accurate than other models. / Atualmente, a busca por soluções analíticas para os problemas de dispersão é um dos principais assuntos de pesquisa na modelagem da dispersão de poluentes. Estas soluções tornam-se importantes devido à intenção de obter modelos de dispersão que geram resultados confiáveis em um tempo computacional pequeno, que são de grande interesse para aplicações no controle da qualidade do ar. Modelos de partícula Lagrangeano são uma ferramenta importante e eficaz para simular a dispersão atmosférica de poluentes do ar. Esses modelos são baseados na equação de Langevin, que é derivada da hipótese que a velocidade é dada por uma combinação entre um termo determinístico e um termo estocástico. Neste trabalho é apresentado um novo modelo de partícula Lagrangeano para simular a dispersão de poluentes em condições de velocidade de vento fraco. Durante a velocidade de vento fraco, a difusão de um poluente na Camada Limite Planetária (CLP) é indefinida e tem sido observado que a pluma está sujeita a grandes ondulações horizontais, que são chamadas meandro do vento. O método proposto leva a uma equação integral estocástica cuja solução é obtida através do Método das Aproximações Sucessivas ou Método Iterativo de Picard. A equação integral é escrita em termos das partes real e imaginária da função complexa antes de realizar a multiplicação do fator integrante, expresso pela fórmula de Euler, dentro e fora da solução integral. Para considerar o efeito do meandro, as funções de autocorrelação Euleriana de Frenkiel para condições de vento fraco são incluídas naturalmente no modelo. A nova aproximação foi avaliada através da comparação com dados experimentais e outros diferentes modelos de dispersão. Particularmente, os resultados obtidos pelo modelo concordam muito bem com os dados experimentais, indicando que o modelo representa o processo de dispersão corretamente em condições de velocidade de vento fraco. Também é possível verificar que os resultados do novo modelo são melhores do que os obtidos pelos outros modelos. A característica analítica da técnica e a inclusão natural da função de autocorrelação Euleriana de Frenkiel tornam o modelo mais exato que os outros modelos.

No description available.

River discharge leads to extensive phytoplankton blooms often observed in ocean color satellite images to extend far into the open ocean as high chlorophyll plumes. We investigated diversity, distribution and ecology of phytoplankton populations in the Mississippi River plume, both spatially and in the water column using molecular tools. A method was developed for the quantification of diatom/pelagophyte rbcL (large subunit of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase) mRNA using quantitative PCR and applied to cultures and in the plume. The vertical structure of phytoplankton species in the Mississippi River plume was described by flow cytometry, pigments, rbcL mRNA and rbcL cDNA libraries. High productivity in the plume was associated with a large population of Synechococcus and elevated levels of cellular form IA rbcL mRNA. rbcL cDNA libraries indicated two vertically separated clades of Prochlorococcus (high-light and low-light adapted) in addition to a diverse group of prymnesiophytes and a microdiverse clade of prasinophytes, which may have dominated the SCM (Subsurface Chlorophyll Maximum). In situ sampling and satellite image analysis were used to estimate that the plume accounted for 41% and 13% of all surface water column ix productivity in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico, while covering less than 3% of its area. Coastally the plume is dominated by diatoms, which are replaced by a bloom of Synechococcus as the plume moves offshore. Diatoms as indicated by pigments and rbcL clone libraries again dominated the offshore, least productive plume. 15N uptake measurements indicated that rapid recycling of ammonium despite higher levels of nitrate primarily drives production in the offshore plume. rbcL mRNA levels and photosynthetic capacity displayed strong diel patters in three out of four time series sampled during the GRIST (Geochemical Rate/mRNA Integrated Study). In addition it was demonstrated that transcriptional regulation of the global nitrogen regulatory protein NtcA in Synechococcus WH7803 may involve a small cis-encoded anti-sense mRNA. Methods for the generation of large insert BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) from cultures and the environment were refined. Partial sequencing and genomic comparison of an ntcA containing BAC clone obtained from Synechococcus WH7803 indicated that ntcA is not part of a larger nitrogen assimilation operon in cyanobacteria.

No description available.

The search for water has been vital in our solar system as water indicates a potential for life. The search has been extended to satellites orbiting the outer planets. It has already been proven that water exists on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, where the spacecraft Cassini did a flyby through a water plume. The study of the water plumes has been implemented on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, where there are signs of an underwater ocean existing. Several studies have implemented an analytical model for the gas distribution of plumes to match the detected signals with their method of plotting the distribution of water gas. In this report, we quantitatively analyzed plume distributions used in studies by Roth et al. (2014), Blöcker et al. (2016), Sparks et al. (2016), Jia et al. (2019), Arnold et al. (2019), and Huybrighs et al. (2020). In these plume studies there are 2 different plume shapes used, namely the expanding teardrop and the expanding circular shape. Different scale heights are used for the teardrop shape, leading to either shorter or longer appearance of the teardrop plume. Comparing the plume distribution of these analytical plumes, Roth’s method is the most sensitive one in this category, meaning that Roth’s plume model had the lowest quantity in terms of the density distribution values. Arnold’s plume model is the densest for altitudes below roughly 300km and Huybrigh’s plume model for altitudes above 300km. In terms of the vertical and the horizontal column densities and the total number of molecules, the most sensitive method in each category was Jia’s, Roth’s, and Blöcker’s plume model respectively. Our results suggest that the plume models are rather inconsistent with each other quantitatively. / Sökandet efter vatten har varit avgörande i vårt solsystem eftersom vatten indikerar en potential för liv. Sökandet har utvidgats till satelliter som kretsar kring de yttre planeterna. Det har redan bevisats att vatten finns på Saturnus måne, Enceladus där rymdfarkosten Cassini flyger förbi genom en vattenplym. Studiet av vattenplymer har genomförts på Jupiters måne, Europa, där det finns tecken på att ett undervattenshav existerar. Flera studier har implementerat en analytisk modell för gasfördelning av plymer för att matcha de detekterade signalerna med deras metod för att plotta fördelningen av vattengas. I den här rapporten analyserade vi kvantitativt plymfördelningar som används i studier av Roth et al. (2014), Blöcker et al. (2016), Sparks et al. (2016), Jia et al. (2019), Arnold et al. (2019) och Huybrighs et al. (2020). I dessa plymstudier används 2 olika plymformer, nämligen den expanderande tårformen och den expanderande cirkulära formen. Olika skalhöjder används för droppformen, vilket leder till antingen kortare eller längre utseende av droppplymen. Om man jämför plymens fördelning av dessa analytiska plymer, är Roths plymmodell den mest känsliga. Arnolds plymmodell är den tätaste för höjder under ungefär 300 km och Huybrighs plymmodell för höjder över 300 km. När det gäller de vertikala och horisontella kolumndensiteterna och det totala antalet molekyler var den känsligaste plymmodellen Jias, Roths respektive Blöckers plymmodell. Våra resultat tyder på att plymmodellerna är ganska inkonsekventa med varandra kvantitativt.